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Article ON SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM. ← Page 15 of 19 →
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On Symbols And Symbolism.
Avhich influenced the mind of the royal founder in the choice of this common emblem , and of his curious motto . Unable or unwilling to descend to the puerilities of our forefathers , in their association with the scarce understood powers and combinations of Avords , most of these inquirers , dazzled by the present fame and eminence of the Orderhave been unwilling
, to admit a trite and humble motive ; and others who have not looked beyond the general idea of a circle or girth , intimating merely the bond of union connecting the knights ' companions , forget to bring their vieAvs in unison with the enigmatical motto . It is A ery evident that both motto and symbol must be traced to some uniform idea before a
satisfactory explanation is admitted . But to prosecute this at present would lead us too far astray from the subject of male and military cinctures ; our strictures having hitherto been confined to those of the other sex : this portion is more directly interesting to those successors of the military Orders in the Craft , but would scarcely be fully understood Avithout preAdous inquiry
into its most prominent use and abuse amongst females . When in the progress of . the corruptions of the Romish Church the papal court found its best support and safest continuance in the celibacy of the clergy , every institution that came Avithin its cognizance , or was supported by its authority , was naturally held to the same observances : the Scripture
might give the express injunction : " Increase and multiply ;" but a practice the exact reverse Avas found conducive to the establishment of the papal supremacy , and was . therefore preferred .
The military Orders were principally framed under the tutelage of that reformed portion of the Benedictine monks which , from their earliest monastery at Cister , called themselves Cistercians , and their most famous proselyte , St . Bernard , framed the rule of the Knights Templars , and a long charge , in Avhich the virtue of chastity is largely insisted on . We need not , therefore ,
wonder that the military oath for knights , who were also considered in some degree as priests , . as certainly they in a great measure so deemed themselves , besides the three obligations of poverty , obedience , and perpetual Avar against the infidels , also included the indispensable VOAV of personal chastity , and that a irdle was given them at their initiation as a symbol and
g remembrance of this portion of their vow . Dupuy , p . 301 , adduces the testimony of Bro . Thomas de Thoulouse , who knows nothing of a secret initiation , that the Brethren wore a girdle , not in honour of any idol , but according to the rule of St . Bernard ; but at pp . 304 and 374 he seems
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Symbols And Symbolism.
Avhich influenced the mind of the royal founder in the choice of this common emblem , and of his curious motto . Unable or unwilling to descend to the puerilities of our forefathers , in their association with the scarce understood powers and combinations of Avords , most of these inquirers , dazzled by the present fame and eminence of the Orderhave been unwilling
, to admit a trite and humble motive ; and others who have not looked beyond the general idea of a circle or girth , intimating merely the bond of union connecting the knights ' companions , forget to bring their vieAvs in unison with the enigmatical motto . It is A ery evident that both motto and symbol must be traced to some uniform idea before a
satisfactory explanation is admitted . But to prosecute this at present would lead us too far astray from the subject of male and military cinctures ; our strictures having hitherto been confined to those of the other sex : this portion is more directly interesting to those successors of the military Orders in the Craft , but would scarcely be fully understood Avithout preAdous inquiry
into its most prominent use and abuse amongst females . When in the progress of . the corruptions of the Romish Church the papal court found its best support and safest continuance in the celibacy of the clergy , every institution that came Avithin its cognizance , or was supported by its authority , was naturally held to the same observances : the Scripture
might give the express injunction : " Increase and multiply ;" but a practice the exact reverse Avas found conducive to the establishment of the papal supremacy , and was . therefore preferred .
The military Orders were principally framed under the tutelage of that reformed portion of the Benedictine monks which , from their earliest monastery at Cister , called themselves Cistercians , and their most famous proselyte , St . Bernard , framed the rule of the Knights Templars , and a long charge , in Avhich the virtue of chastity is largely insisted on . We need not , therefore ,
wonder that the military oath for knights , who were also considered in some degree as priests , . as certainly they in a great measure so deemed themselves , besides the three obligations of poverty , obedience , and perpetual Avar against the infidels , also included the indispensable VOAV of personal chastity , and that a irdle was given them at their initiation as a symbol and
g remembrance of this portion of their vow . Dupuy , p . 301 , adduces the testimony of Bro . Thomas de Thoulouse , who knows nothing of a secret initiation , that the Brethren wore a girdle , not in honour of any idol , but according to the rule of St . Bernard ; but at pp . 304 and 374 he seems